MOST HALLOWED GROUND
“ The Civil War defined us as what we are and it opened us to being what we became,
good things and bad things... It was the crossroads of our being, and it was a hell of a crossroads: the suffering, the enormous tragedy of the whole thing.
– Historian and novelist Shelby Foote, from The Civil War ”
1. ARRIVE WASHINGTON, DC Tour begins: The Mayflower® Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel, 5:30 PM. A transfer is included from Ronald Reagan National Airport or Dulles International Airport to The Mayflower® Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel. The Civil War began 150 years ago this April. Over the next 11 days with Tauck, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of the war and its legacies – visiting key places in which it was fought, that “most hallowed ground”... listening to its stories in the words of people who were there... and meeting scholars, experts and living historians who interpret its lessons today. Learn about the days ahead through the first of numerous filmed vignettes by Ken Burns during tonight’s welcome cocktail reception, followed by dinner. Meals D
2. HOUSE DIVIDED: FORD’S THEATRE/ARLINGTON Begin your Civil War odyssey by fast-forwarding to the end of the conflict – the tragic night of April 14, 1865 – with a visit to the newly restored Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site, where President Abraham Lincoln was fatally shot that evening by actor John Wilkes Booth. Explore the theatre and its museum, and enjoy a talk by a National Park Service ranger. Then a guided sightseeing tour examines the beginnings of the nation’s capital as well as its role in
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the Civil War, and views the White House, the Capitol, the Mall, and the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials. The human cost of the war, as well as its ironies, commands your attention on a poignant visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where 285,000 veterans of America’s wars are buried on what before the Civil War had been the estate of General Robert E. Lee. Bear witness to heroism and sacrifice on a private tour including gravesites of Civil War dead, the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns, and the JFK Memorial; visit Arlington House, Lee’s former home, now a memorial to the Confederate leader. After dinner, enjoy an evening tour of Washington and its monuments, dramatically illuminated at night. Meals BLD
3. AMERICAN STORIES: THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES The seeds of discontent that grew into secession and war are brought to light in a Tauck Exclusive keynote presentation at your hotel by a noted Civil War historian on events occurring during the 36th U.S. Congress (1859-1861). Stories recounted include abolitionist John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry and his subsequent execution; Abraham Lincoln’s election; the secession of seven states, and the shelling of Fort Sumter in April, 1861. Enjoy another Tauck Exclusive – early admission to the Rotunda of the National Archives for a private viewing of the Declaration of Independence,
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